The American Craft Beer Quick Hits – November 17, 2014

, The American Craft Beer Quick Hits – November 17, 2014We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates – things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed.

So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were off enjoying yourselves.

Massachusetts Probes The State’s Beer Industry (Boston, MA) – According to an AP report “Massachusetts regulators are investigating whether beer distributors, breweries and retailers are violating the law by paying to have certain brands sold in bars and at liquor stores, while at the same time shutting out rivals.”

, The American Craft Beer Quick Hits – November 17, 2014A Winter Harvest of Serious Seasonals (Washington, DC) – Our friends at The Hand Crafted Tasting Company are throwing the Winter Harvest edition of the DC Craft Beer Festival next Saturday, Nov 22nd and these people know what they’re doing! This two-session, pre-Thanksgiving festival will showcase winter releases from 75 of America’s best breweries, with a special focus on DC, Maryland, and Virginia’s award-winning craft beer scene. Attendees will be able to sample more than 150 seasonal brews this year, including Anderson Valley’s Winter SolsticeAlewerks Coffee StoutBell’s Winter White, Founders Breakfast StoutPort City’s Tidings, and Sly Fox’s Christmas Ale. Rarities and award-winning beers like Wild Wolf’s WolfNStein will also be offered and Starr Hill is bringing in Jomo in firkins! The event will again be presenting a series of intimate craft beer seminars with noted craft beer authors and industry leaders that you’ll want to check out when you’re there.

 

Wait Your Turn Portland (Leuven, Belgium) – While Portland may still own the title of being home to more breweries than any city in America, it appears that it still has a way to go on the global stage. The Belgian city of Leuven, which sits just 16 miles east of Brussels, is now home to an amazing 250 independent breweries, according to UK’s Daily Record.

Is Craft Getting Cloudier?  (Bend, OR) –  There’s been a lot of great writing about Anheuser-Busch’s recent acquisition of 10 Barrel Brewing and The Bulletin’s “Could 10 Barrel Lose its Craft Brewer Label?” is another “must read” addition to the increasingly complicated discussion of what is a craft brewer. For those who subscribe to the Brewers Association’s stipulation that a “brewery with more than 25 percent outside ownership by an entity other than another craft brewer may not call itself a craft brewer,” it seems clear that 10 Barrel will no longer be considered “craft,” at least according to that trade organization’s standards. But some industry professionals may have a problem with that, according Bulletin reporter Joseph Ditzler:

“Those people are craft brewers, period. It has nothing to do with who owns them,” said (Ben) Havig, co-owner and master brewer at Gigantic Brewing Co., Portland. “The brewers at 10 Barrel are an all-star team.”

This Can’t End Well (Green Bay, WI) – According to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, self-service beer machines made their debut at Green Bay’s beloved Lambeau Field over the weekend. And in spite of the fact that there were no reports of any serious injuries at yesterday’s NFL game, ACB remains concerned.

Got Something You Think We Need To Know About? Send Your Press Releases to: [email protected]

About AmericanCraftBeer.com

AmericanCraftBeer.com is the nations' leading source for the Best Craft Beer News, Reviews, Events and Media.
Scroll To Top